Debra Li

A SERENADE, flickering candlelight, elegant ladies and gentlemen.

Tuesday night, the five-star InterContinental Shenzhen presented an exclusive wine dinner in conjunction with the "Il Borro" winery of the Salvatore Ferragamo family.

Franco Russo, executive director of the Il Borro Wine Division of Ferragamo enterprises, flew from Italy to grace the event.

"I've been traveling around the world to promote our wines. Last week, it was America, Germany, and Russia. I didn't get enough sleep (flying long hours and being troubled by jetlag), but I'm happy to be here to share with you our wines and this wonderful night," Russo said.

He had been to the mainland once before and envisages a big potential market here.

"It's a great restaurant to promote our choice wines," he said, inviting guests to the Ferragamo estates if they have the chance to travel to Italy in the future.

Starting their business in the United States in 1914 selling handmade shoes to Hollywood stars, Ferragamo has gradually expanded the family's operations to fashion, hotels, boats and, in recent years, wine. The family owns three wine-producing estates on the Mediterannean coast.

The exceptional haute cuisine principles of Pipette, led by Chef de Cuisine Frederic Quemin and his spirited staff, presented a five-course menu, which included canapés on arrival, walnut ice cream with sea urchin, rabbit confit and roasted Australian beef tenderloin.

"It is one of the most elegant nights in town, as the world-renowned Ferragamo family joins us for such an exquisite event," said Quemin, Chef de Cuisine.

"Cuisine is an art of fashion, as it needs a lot of passion and creativity to bring out the sensation and texture of the food."

Owned by the Ferragamo Family since 1993, the Il Borro estate covers more than 700 hectares with 40 hectares dedicated to vines. From a blend of five varieties of the best grapes, Il Borro produces three optimum wines: "Il Borro," "Pian di Nova" and "Polissena."

A middle-aged couple attending the wine dinner shared an intimate conversation over their wine glasses and exchanged smiles from time to time.

The gentleman said: "I like Pian di Nova. It shows a concentrated and characteristically varietal nose with rich layers of dark berries, some vegetal notes and hints of cherry. The palate is very solid and dense, brimming with fine-grained tannins."

The Borro estate cultivates its vineyards by taking into account the diverse terrain of the hills, which are situated between Florence and Arezzo at 300 meters above sea level. The vines, grown in an environmentally friendly manner, are planted at a density of 4,500 plants per hectare, each of which produces a kilo of wine grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Syrah are harvested in small containers and fermented separately in steel vats at controlled temperatures. Immediately after the formation of the alcohol, the secondary fermentation takes place in barriques. The wine is then left to mature for one year, after which it is lightly filtered, bottled and aged for a further six months in the cantina.